


Layla

by Lapin



Series: White Houses [2]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Laketown, M/M, Silly Boys, this was not supposed to become a thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-31
Updated: 2014-08-31
Packaged: 2018-02-15 14:46:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2232915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lapin/pseuds/Lapin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Perhaps a first outing together should come before the sex, but Ori's not too bothered.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Layla

**Author's Note:**

> This was not supposed to get a sequel.
> 
> Named for [Layla](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n92zksrhbc), because it's been stuck in my head for three days now.

“So what did you get up to last night?” 

Ori starts, looking over at Nori, a pipe between his brother's teeth, but not yet lit. “What do you mean?” he asks, focusing on his mending instead of Nori. “I went to bed while you and Dori were drinking. You know I don't like it when you two start gambling.” Dori and Nori are poor losers, and worse, when they drink and get their spirits up, Ori is never sure what they're going to do. 

“I'm aware you went to bed,” Nori says, finally lighting the pipe. “What I'm asking is whose bed you went to?” 

His needle doesn't slip, Ori too practised at the task. “I went to my bed.” 

Nori's eyebrows draw down. “You're not a good liar, Ori. Do you want to tell the truth, or lie to me again?” 

“It's none of your concern where I slept, Nori.” His clothes had been returned to him at last, but the washing the laundresses had done to all of it had not been kind. He doesn't have what he needs to properly fix everything, and the lot of it will likely end up in the burn heap before long. “I never asked you where you disappeared to.”

“I'm your elder brother, so it's not your concern, whereas you are the younger,” Nori snaps, making Ori flinch in surprise. It's usually Dori who disciplines Ori, Nori preferring not to swing his pick unless he had to. “Fíli or Kíli?” When Ori avoids his eyes, Nori says, “They're handsome lads, the pair of them, even if neither of them have many manners. I'll put my coin on Fíli, since he stared at you through breakfast, and your face matched the apples in the bowl better than the tablecloth.” 

Ori bites the inside of his cheek. “He offered, and I wanted to. It's not any of your concern, otherwise.” It has been good and fun and Fíli had been kind. “We were just playing.” 

“I know you're not this stupid,” Nori drawls. 

“What do you mean?” 

Nori puffs on his pipe and exhales a smoke ring. “I wouldn't have minded if it had been Bofur or one of the Men. But Fíli is a bad choice.” He bites the end of the pipe, then takes it out so he can bite into an apple. With his hair out of his travelling braids, down for once, and a pipe in his hand, it's almost like home. Except it's not, and there's a dragon a stone's throw away. “Go to another if you've got an itch, you hear me?”

“I like Fíli,” Ori defends himself, cutting the thread with his teeth. “If I go to his bed, it's no one's business but mine and his.” 

“You don't really believe he takes you seriously?” Nori asks, sneering. “Ori, he's a nob. Top of the heap, even, after Thorin. You're warming his bed. We raised you with more spine than that.”

“Maybe I like warming his bed,” Ori retorts, annoyed. “It's just for fun, Nori. So mind your own.” 

Nori shakes his head and leaves the table, so Ori is alone in the kitchen, mending another worn spot in his shirt. It'll be for the burn heap no matter if the fire is in a hearth or down a dragon's throat. Either way, it won't do to wear it shabby until then. 

After a time, Fíli joins him, sitting on the table, his feet on the bench and his elbows crossed over his knees. He smells like smoke and people, so he and Kíli have been out and about. They're more comfortable with Men than Ori is. Ori is already a short Dwarf, and Men make him feel like a child again. He watches Ori work, taking another apple out of the basket on the table and biting into it noisily. Ori patches a tear at the knee in a pair of trousers, then starts to darn his mittens. He needs a new pair, needed them before the journey began, if he's honest. 

“Looks like they can't be saved,” Fíli comments, holding up one. “I'll shoot you a rabbit or a fox, and Dori can make you a new set, a proper one.” 

“Dori doesn't like working with fur,” Ori says, frowning over a snag. “And what would I be doing, wearing fur? I'm not a noble.”

“Says who?” Fíli challenges. “You'll be a hero of Erebor.” He strokes Ori's cheek, making Ori smile. “You'll wear fur and jewels, Ori. No one's going to say different. I'll stab them first.” He winks when Ori glances sceptically up at him. “Not to kill, of course.”

“Of course,” Ori agrees dryly, laughing after, unable to help himself. “Crown Prince cannot exactly go around murdering people for my honour.” 

“Says who?” he repeats mockingly. He's acquired knives similar to his old ones somehow, using one to spear another apple that he tucks away. Ori prefers not to ask. Fíli and Kíli might be princes, but they're practical as well. If the Master won't give them what they want, Ori has no doubt they'll just take it. “I'll make the laws, I'll do as I like.” He plays with the end of one of Ori's braids, and asks, “What does your hair look like down?” 

His face is red, Ori's sure. “Like hair.” 

“Could I see? Tonight?” 

“Maybe,” Ori says, knotting the end and breaking off the thread. “I wanted to visit the bathhouse before bed. I don't like braiding my hair wet, any way. It's all wavy when I take it out again.” And not pretty waves like Dori and Nori's hair. Ori's hair is still too short and it always ends up looking more like a bird's nest than theirs. “Kíli doesn't mind losing his bed again?” 

Fíli shrugs. “He can come in after we're done, if you don't mind him snoring.” 

“No one can be as bad as Bofur,” Ori replies, Fíli snickering at it. “Where did you and Kíli go today?” 

“What makes you so sure we went together?” 

“You never do anything without one another.” When Fíli smirks, Ori cringes. 

“There's at least one thing I don't do with my brother,” he says, taking another loud bite. “Kíli is feeling better today though. Were you...I mean, I'm not going to say I'd like it, but if you wanted to spend the night with Kíli instead of me, you just have to say.” 

Ori shakes his head. “Kíli is...” He doesn't want to insult him, because he does like Kíli just fine. “I like you better.” 

Fíli slides off the table and onto the bench in a smooth motion Ori could never pull off, leaning over so his mouth is almost touching Ori's ear. “Do you like me better right now?” 

“I should finish this,” Ori protests, even as Fíli buries his nose in Ori's hair before pressing a kiss to his jaw. “Could we be quick?” 

“Not too quick, but fast enough you won't be missed,” Fíli promises. “You haven't even seen what I can do with my mouth yet.” The offer is tempting, and really, what's a little break going to hurt? “I can wait, if you don't want to.” Fíli starts to pull back, but Ori twines his fingers through Fíli's hair and pulls him in for a kiss. 

Kissing Fíli is so nice, especially now that he knows what kissing can lead to, knows how it feels to straddle Fíli's hips, have Fíli on top of him, _in_ him. Fíli wants Ori too, and being wanted that way, feeling Fíli grab his hip now and pull them closer, how aggressively he kisses, moving down to Ori's neck, biting at the soft skin there, and all but pulling Ori into his lap, it seals the decision in Ori's mind. “Show me what you can do with your mouth.”

They don't go all the way upstairs, not with a few of their companions sitting out and smoking or mending their own gear. Instead, Ori tugs Fíli into the closet the house keeps the linens in. No one is likely to go in here for as much time as they need, and as long as they're quiet, it should be all right. 

Fíli pushes Ori up against the wall as soon as the door is shut, one little round window above casting enough light to see by. They're kissing again, but now Fíli is pushing between Ori's legs, his hand finding it's way through Ori's clothes to unlace his trousers and touch him. 

“I told you I didn't like it the other way,” Fíli says against Ori's mouth. “But I like doing this, and it'll feel good.” He kisses Ori briefly, and then Fíli is on his knees in front of Ori, his hands on Ori's hips. “Don't choke me, I don't like that. You can pull my hair a little if you want to. Let's me know I'm doing something right.” 

Ori cannot look at him down there any more, so he closes his eyes tight. Fíli kisses his belly first, pushing Ori's shirt up, then his mouth moves down to Ori's cock, and he has to cover his face with his hands. Fíli is the crown prince, and he's on his knees in front of Ori, and Ori's heart is beating too fast to enjoy anything. “Stop,” he says, and Fíli's mouth leaves, Ori's cock cold with the wet from his mouth and the air. 

“What's wrong?” He still cannot look at Fíli, so he has no idea what his expression is, and Ori doesn't think he could handle it any way. “Ori?”

He swallows. “Stand up, please.” He can hear Fíli do it, so he dares to peek out, lowering his hands. Fíli looks upset, so he closes his eyes again.

“Are you all right?” 

“I just...” He cannot put it in words, but that seems to be enough, because Fíli kisses his temple and rests against him, not asking Ori to look at him or anything. “Something else?” 

“No trouble,” Fíli soothes, moving his hands up and down Ori's arms. “How about what we were doing last night, before we were interrupted?” Ori nods, and Fíli crowds him harder against the wall, so Ori's back is firm against it. “You have no idea how many times I thought about this,” he laughs. “No idea.”

Ori doesn't ask, doesn't trust himself to speak just yet. He indulges in Fíli's want and experience instead, pulling Fíli close while he kisses Ori, his hand working it's way between them. Ori thinks to help, starting to unlace Fíli's trousers as well, his focus torn between the two tasks, but Fíli stops him, and Ori realizes why. His nerves haven't done him any favours, so now Fíli helps him back into his trousers, Ori humiliated. 

“Sorry,” he mutters to the shelf full of folded linens. “I'm really sorry, I got nervous.”

Fíli hums against Ori's jaw, kissing him there and then on the mouth. “It's fine. Happens. Better than someone walking in, right?” He grins as Ori scowls up at him. “I shouldn't have gotten distracted any way. Thorin wanted something earlier, and I still haven't done it.” 

“What is it?” Ori asks, curious. What could Thorin need from Fíli that the Master could not provide? 

“Don't worry about it just yet,” Fíli dismisses, kissing Ori. “Here, put me in a good mood so I won't complain too much. Kíli and Bilbo are already taxing Thorin's patience.” With Bilbo sick and Kíli injured, they have been slowed down, and Thorin's nature isn't the most amiable when things are going well. 

In any case, Ori does like kissing, and Fíli is fun to kiss, so he puts it out of his head and he and Fíli kiss for another few long minutes in the dark quiet. Stopping is disappointing, but Ori has his own chores to get back to. No one notices them ducking out, nor does anyone see how Fíli touches Ori's face for a moment. 

Ori's sewing is still waiting for him on the table. 

By the time he's finished, it's not far from supper, the Company filtering in and out of the kitchen to look through the pantry and the larder and the cellar, producing bottles of wine and another barrel of ale. They want to have another supper like last night then, carousing and gambling and drinking themselves into a sorry state. Ori's not in the mood for that, not really. He gathers his things up and takes it all upstairs before Dori fusses over the mess. 

It's all useless, really, he thinks mournfully, holding one of his outer shirts up to the light. The firelight is clearly seen through parts, showing the thinning spots. He'll need new clothes before the winter sets in, or he's liable to freeze in his bed, one-fourteenth of the treasure or not. Gold's not very warm, in his experience. 

“Looks like it'll be rags before the month is out.” Ori hadn't shut the door all the way, and now Fíli is leaning on the frame, watching Ori with a lit pipe in his hand. “Surprised it survived washing.” 

“So am I,” Ori replies, rolling it up and tossing it back into the basket. “Did you finish your chore for Thorin?”

“I did,” Fíli answers, taking a puff. “I'm all yours.” 

Ori eyes him, but Fíli doesn't notice, snuffing out his pipe and dumping the ashes in the fire. He's not smiling, instead looking into the fire. He seems distant, enough Ori doesn't think sex is a good idea just yet, but he doesn't want to go downstairs either. “Do you want to take a walk with me?” 

“Sure,” Fíli says. 

They bundle up, as much as Ori can with what little he has left of his clothes, and leave the house. The town is a funny place, built up on the water the way it is. Ori feels unsteady on the wooden walks, the way they creak and even rock in some places. “It smells odd here,” he says. 

“It's because it's a dock town,” Fíli tells him, surprising Ori. He hadn't thought Fíli was paying much attention to him. “They burn all their rubbish, see? That building there?” He points to one with a billow of smoke coming out. “Rubbish will kill the fish, so they cannot just dump it. So they burn it all up to ash, for the most part. Probably grind up the fish bones and shells. Then they use it on their gardens, and their fields on the shore. Makes the plants grow.”

Fíli knows odd things. “That's right, you and Kíli travelled with Thorin, didn't you?” 

“Yes,” he answers, wrapping an arm around Ori's shoulders. He's heavy and warm, and Ori is glad to have his heat in the cold. Ori blows on his hands, tucking them into his sleeves. “We settled in a few places like this over the years. Never long enough to get used to the smell.” 

They keep walking, Ori asking questions about the towns Fíli had lived in for those times. He's always curious about other places in the world. It's part of why he wanted to go with Nori so badly on this quest. He'd wanted to _see_. “Do you ever wonder about going further east?” 

Fíli shrugs against him. “I wonder about lots of things. The 'being king' part usually catches me though. Cannot get beyond that bit, even when I really try.” 

“Makes sense,” Ori says, frowning. “Fíli, why are you here?” 

“I'm taking back my birthright,” he says, the answer sounding as if it's by rote. 

“I mean with me.” It's odd, when Ori thinks about it. “We're not really the same, are we?” 

“What do you mean?” Ori gives him a look, and Fíli makes a frustrated noise. “I don't know. We get on, and I like to look at you.” That's not reassuring in the slightest. “Durin's beard, Ori, what do you want me to say?” 

“Do you like me, is all.” He's not asking for Fíli to be in love with him or anything. He's certainly not in love with Fíli. “Not just because you like to look at me, I mean.”

“Oh, is that what you mean?” Fíli asks, in a low, teasing tone. “You bite your pencils when you're thinking while you're sketching, did you know? And when you're sewing, you bite your lip.” He brushes Ori's bottom lip with his thumb, the leather of his glove smooth. Ori's lips are getting chapped. He needs to find some salve to put on them or they'll be cracked and bleeding before long. “You make me laugh.”

“I don't usually mean to make you laugh,” Ori points out, and Fíli laughs again. “You're awful.”

“You seem to like me any way,” Fíli replies, tugging him in tighter. “I like you, Ori. Does it have to be more complicated than that?”

Ori shakes his head. “No. I just wanted to be sure.” He likes being under Fíli's arm. Fíli is warm and tall enough Ori tucks up against his side comfortably, so a whole side of himself is protected from the chill, and a bit of his back and the other side, where Fíli's coat and fur drapes around him. “What did you have to do for Thorin?”

Fíli huffs. “Nothing fun. He had me and Kíli sneaking around, listening in on the Master and his slimy toads. Kíli got the Master, since he's hurt. I got the toads. Men are disgusting.” 

“What do you mean?” Fíli obviously wants to rant. Ori's used to the sound in Dori and Nori's voices when they're upset, so he prompts Fíli to keep talking. If he's anything like Ori's brothers, he'll feel better after he talks, and Ori doesn't mind listening. He can even write it down for the history if Fíli says it's all right. 

“You should hear them.” Fíli swears under his breath, shaking his head. “I've been among Men in the West, but they've always held their tongues around our people. Or maybe they're just different here. The way they speak about Dwarrows and Elves, and even their own, it's...” Fíli spits into the water. “Maybe it's just this place. They're poor and these morons in power, they're stupid and self-serving.” 

“Thorin will never put up with the Master once we have Erebor back,” Ori says, because it's true. The Master makes even proper Dori visibly cringe. “He likes Bard, doesn't he?” 

Fíli chuckles. “In his way, he does. Thorin likes anyone who stands for their people, who stays by their beliefs, even when gold is in the equation. He won't admit it, not now, but yes, he likes Bard. When we have Erebor back, the Master is likely soon for the poorhouse.” 

“What's a poorhouse?” Ori has never heard the word before. 

“When Men get poor, and cannot pay their debts, their home is taken and they have to stay in decrepit buildings no one else wants and pay off their debts through unpaid labour of tasks no one else wants.” Fíli's tone is dark, much darker than Ori's ever heard him. “Sometimes even their children are sold off to work in mills and mines.” 

“Why?” Ori's never heard of something so stupid. 

“Because Men are awful creatures.” Ori's own mother had died in debt, but that hadn't been any fault of theirs. The guild and the bank never would have held it against them, especially after her death. “Even if Thorin allows him to keep control of this place, I'll never deal with someone like the Master. Never. People like him should never hold people's lives in their power.” 

“And people like you should?” he teases gently, using the hand not pressed between their bodies to touch just under Fíli's ribs. “You and Kíli couldn't even watch the ponies.”

“All I asked for was a moment to myself,” Fíli defends. “Kíli said he would keep an eye on them. Not my fault he decided to take a piss when they were trolls around. And how were we even supposed to know? Trolls hardly ever come down so far.” He kisses Ori's temple hard, his fingers digging into Ori's arm. “It'll all be worth it. We'll have Erebor. Thorin will be king, and I'll be king after him.” 

Ori is still touching just under Fíli's ribs, sliding in under Fíli's coat so his hand is warm. “I want to see the Library. Dori remembers it. He says it's very grand. Most of it is likely dust or too decayed to be understood, but whatever is sealed away in the vaults is hopefully safe. And there's still the tapestries and the art.” Their people make things to last, including books. Dori has told him that there is much written into the very walls and columns in Erebor, and if someone had thought to shut the doors to the Library, deep and safe in the mountain, it's not so hopeless as all that.

Their people are not gone. Their past might yet still live. 

They might one day stand glorious and strong again.

Beside him, Fíli is serious, almost grim. “Don't you want to see it?” he dares to ask.

“I've never wanted anything more in my whole life,” Fíli answers.

It feels as though something has come around and struck him in the head and the chest, knocking the wind out of him. He looks up at Fíli, his hair almost silvery in the light, and it's absolutely ridiculous, the whole of this. Ori is a silly little scribe pretending at being an adventurer, and Fíli is the Crown Prince of their lost home. 

They might die anyway, though. “Do you want to go back?”

“You're better company.” That makes Ori smile. They might not ever speak again after Erebor was taken back, but for now, Fíli thinks of Ori as a friend, and that's nice. Ori's never had many friends. Working and apprenticing never left much time, especially not being Balin's apprentice. Ori's on scholarship, unlike his fellow apprentices, so they weren't too interested in him either. “How's your book progressing?” 

“Well enough,” Ori answers, thinking of his poor book. He'd managed to keep it in the cells, stuffed up in his clothes, and it had survived the barrel ride the same way. It had been a little damp around the bottom, but it's dried out all right. He'll have to recopy it when they're setted, but the original might be good for display one day. “One of my sketches of you and Kíli is ruined though.” It had been a rather good one too, the pair of them smoking, reclined against their gear. “Do you think you could sit for me while we're here?” 

Fíli smirks, stopping them so they can kiss, Ori gratefully tucking himself into Fíli's warmth. “With my clothes on, or off?” 

Ori blushes, getting a chuckle out of Fíli. “At least a dozen people have used that line on me, you know.” Fíli frowns. “Want to try again?” 

“Hmm...” He rocks them back and forth, and before Ori can do anything, Fíli has lifted him up off the ground by the waist, forcing Ori to throw his arms around Fíli's neck and cling to him. Slowly, Fíli starts to spin them around, not exactly the safest thing to be doing on a rickety wooden board walk covered in snow and just a breath above the freezing water. 

“Fíli!” he cries, shouting in shock. “What are you doing?” 

“Stalling,” Fíli replies calmly. “This way you cannot escape me until I think of something.” 

“We're going to fall!” 

“I can swim. I'll save you.” He brightens. “I've saved your life, how's that for a line?” When Ori starts laughing, Fíli grins triumphantly. “I could list off the times in order, will that help?” He stops spinning them, but Ori's toes are still just barely brushing the ground. “Cannot believe you were a virgin. I would have climbed through a window for a chance at you in Ered Luin.”

“What?” They hardly knew one another back home, Fíli and Kíli older and already done with their schooling. They'd stopped in to see Balin once in awhile, and they had sometimes talked, but Ori had been too much in awe of the princes to ever even initiate a conversation. “What do you mean?” 

Fíli finally puts him down. “Kíli and I both liked the look of you. You never seemed to want to talk to us though, so we both figured you were promised already.” 

“Why would that make you think I was promised?” Ori is really reluctant to leave Fíli's warm space. He'll be colder when he does, and that's distasteful. 

“Because,” Fíli touches their temples together, an intimate thing that forces up the corners of Ori's mouth. “Last night, you kept turning this colour...” He kisses Ori's cheek, his mouth staying pressed there for a moment. “You used to turn that colour whenever Kíli and I came around. Always thought you must like one of us, and Kíli was convinced it was him, by the way, so I'm really enjoying this whole thing. Anyway, we would try to flirt, but you would just blush and avoid us. Figured you had made someone a promise already, and didn't want to encourage us.” He pauses, and looks at Ori with his eyebrows drawn down. “You're _not_ , right? You said you had carried on with a few, but there's no one permanent? Because I can't...I mean...”

“I don't have any money, or property coming my way,” Ori reminds him. “I don't have anything, Fíli. Just because people want to bed me, doesn't mean they want to marry me.” He shoves at Fíli playfully, Fíli grabbing his wrists in retaliation, the pair of them tussling for a moment before Fíli tugs him tightly against his chest, kissing his temple and then his nose before his mouth. And oh, he really likes kissing Fíli. 

It's snowing, _again_ , but it's not so bad with some layers and Fíli. 

Eventually, Ori remembers they're in public, and breaks the kiss. He wanders away, leaving Fíli behind him. “Hey,” Fíli calls, coming after him, right as Ori bends down and scoops up a handful of snow. This time when Fíli grabs him, Ori smashes snow on top of his head. “You little - !” 

Ori is already running, careful of his step, Fíli's boots heavy on the wood as he gives chase. Ori runs back to the house, his arms crossed across his chest to keep his hands warm, his breath stinging in the cold air. He doesn't quite make it the house before Fíli catches him, his arms around Ori's middle, lifting him up again for a moment before Ori's feet thunk against the wood, Fíli curled over and around him. “You are going to pay for that,” Fíli warns. 

They're both laughing, Fíli handling Ori forcefully, trying to hold him still while he gets at some snow of his own, when Ori looks up and sees Dori and Nori on the balcony. Even in the dark, he can see the way his brothers are eyeing the pair of them. Gently, Ori pulls out of Fíli's arms, instead linking their fingers and leading him inside, out from under Nori's glare and Dori's curious glance. 

Bofur, Bifur, Bombur and Kíli are playing dice by the fire. Dwalin and Thorin are talking in low tones by a window. Balin is nowhere to be seen, and he knows Dori and Nori are on the balcony. There's no one to bother them as they go up the stairs and back into Fíli and Kíli's room. Fíli discards his outer layers quickly, Ori doing the same, and Fíli lights a pipe as Ori shuts the door, sitting down on the rug in front of the fire. Ori turns the lock, just to be sure. Kíli likely wouldn't think anything of walking in on them. “Do you want to play a game?” 

“What sort of game?” Fíli asks, Ori sitting beside him. 

“Catch cradle.” Ori pulls the string out of his pocket. “Do you know how?” 

Fíli shakes his head, so Ori shows him how to loop the strings around his fingers. It turns out he's terrible at it, and Ori laughs at him, helping him untangle the mess he's made several times before Fíli almost knots it. “How are you making this look so easy?” Fíli mutters while Ori carefully works at where Fíli's gotten caught. 

“My mother taught my brothers and me how to play when we were really little,” Ori explains. “You should see when Dori and Nori play together. They get really competitive. Dori almost always wins.” 

“I don't think I've ever heard you talk about your mother before,” Fíli says, holding still for Ori. 

Ori hitches a shoulder. “She, um, she died. A long time ago.” It's not hard to talk about, exactly. Ori would just rather not. 

“I wondered, you know. Dori is Thorin's age, but you're younger than Kíli and me.” 

It's not an unusual thing to wonder about. “Our mother was only my age when Dori was born.” If it had been after Erebor had fallen, people would understand better. But Dori was born in the Mountain, and everyone had always known. “How come you and Kíli don't talk about your father?” 

“Because he's dead,” Fíli says, much less carefully than Ori had. “But he had left my mother long before that. He couldn't handle being a part of the royal family. By the time he died, he had another wife. Other children.” Ori finally gets the string off of Fíli's fingers, and sets it aside, kissing Fíli's knuckles. “You three don't talk about your father either.” 

“That's because there would be three Dwarves to talk about.” Ori doesn't look at him when he admits it. It's a funny subject, with most Dwarves. “Mine is a sailor. I don't see him much.” And this is funny too, to realize they have this in common. Strong mothers and useless fathers. “If you weren't a prince, what would you want to be?” 

“A guard, like Dwalin.” Oddly enough, that doesn't surprise Ori. “Did you always want to be a scribe?” 

“Ever since I was old enough to know what a scribe was. See, Dori, he's friends with Balin. Always has been. Balin used to let Dori bring me to his house, to see his books. Balin taught me how to read, and write. Told me about scribes. About stories.” Ori closes his eyes, and can remember Balin's study, sitting beside Balin on the sofa while Balin carefully read aloud, following the words with his finger so Ori could see how the letters and sounds matched. Dori would sit in the chair beside them, usually working on the sewing he did for Balin in exchange. “I loved those books, those stories, from the very first day. Balin has always been the best teacher, the very best. Patient, and kind. He took me on scholarship, you know.” 

The right side of Fíli's mouth quirks up. “Yeah, I know. He used to use you a comparison for everything me and Kíli were doing wrong. Talked about how you understood the value of education, of studying. That you didn't take anything for granted, unlike some young Dwarrows he could name.” 

“Sorry,” Ori apologises. “I wasn't trying to make you look bad.” 

“Trust me, we didn't need any help.” He leans over and kisses Ori now, one hand cupping Ori's jaw. “So me and Kíli would make a nuisance of ourselves, because see, we were convinced that he was only talking about you so much because he was in love with Dori. We'd seen Dori, and no one blamed him for that.” They kiss again. “Damn you, you had to be everything he said, and the sweetest looking creature I'd ever seen besides.” Ori isn't opposed to being complimented while he's being kissed. “You could be mine, you know. If you wanted to be. Just for now. For a little bit.”

Ori bites his lip. “I don't know how Dori feels, but I know Nori hates this.”

“Do you?” Ori shakes his head. “Good thing it's your opinion I'm interested in.”

There's kissing then, a whole lot of kissing, until Fíli's hands dip under Ori's clothes. That's when they go to the bed, but again, Ori shakes his head when Fíli tries to take his shirt off. He's still not comfortable completely stripped in front of Fíli. “Can we do what we did last night?” Ori asks. “I liked that.” 

“You're not sore?” Fíli bites at Ori's collarbone, then sucks against the spot, a soft pleasure that Ori enjoys.

“Should I be?” He is a little bit, but he liked how it felt too much to worry over it. Nothing feels raw, or painful, they just might need to still be easy and use more of the salve. “I just...I kind of want to try...the way you like?” Now that he has the idea, he wants to give Fíli something he wants. “With me on top?”

“You want to ride me?” Fíli asks eagerly, enough Ori laughs. “Really?” 

“Is that what it's called?” It makes sense, Ori guesses. At this point, Fíli has rolled over onto his back, and Ori takes the hint, settling on top of him. He hopes he's not too heavy. Fíli feels very solid under him, but Ori still worries. He's never felt very big, but this is just awkward. “Can we change if I don't like it?”

“Of course,” Fíli says, frowning as he strokes Ori's thighs. “Ori, sex is...it's all right to compromise during sex, you know? If I don't mind and you want to do something else, that's fine, and the opposite way. But if we don't like something...” When Ori stays where he is, Fíli continues. “I like this position, but if you're not comfortable in it, that's not a problem for me.” 

“What if I want to give you what you want?” Ori asks. 

Fíli's hands move to Ori's waist. “I've been with people who just gave me whatever I wanted. That's not appealing to me.” When Ori frowns, Fíli clicks his tongue. “When I say you could be mine, I'm not seeking to own you. If you want something I don't want to give you...like...the other way around, I don't like it at all, but if you wanted to try it with someone who did...” It takes Ori a minute to understand, but once he does, he's uncomfortable enough to get off of Fíli and slide under the covers. “Ori?”

“I don't think I'm the sort to have others,” he says. “I don't think it's that important, really. I like you. I like what we do, so far.” It doesn't seem very important right now, at least. “I want to try what you want, I just need to get...” He doesn't know how to say it, but Fíli's not stupid. He rolls over, half on top of Ori, blocking the firelight with his body. Between kisses, Ori peeks at him, at the way the light looks coming through Fíli's hair, how striking his profile is, and wishes there was a way to instantly save an image forever. He'll sketch this later, will try to make it last. 

Fíli pushes on top more, kissing Ori's jaw, his neck, his collarbone. He's moving down, and Ori realizes he's going to try again what they were doing earlier. “Can I?” he asks, kissing the soft part of Ori's belly. 

Ori nods, but he still covers his eyes as Fíli starts. He doesn't think he can handle seeing, not just yet. It feels good though, really good, enough he wants to reach down and touch Fíli, but he can't, not just yet. Instead, he flings one arm over his eyes and grabs at the pillow with the other. His breathing is getting louder, much louder, so he bites his lip. Fíli is doing more, one hand holding Ori's hips steady, arm digging into Ori's side just a little too much, the other hand playing with Ori. 

It stops, and he can't help but whine. Fíli comes up, eases Ori's arm away and kisses his cheek, encouraging him to relax and kiss him properly. “I'll finish you next time,” he promises. “Wait a minute.” He kisses Ori on the forehead, getting out of the bed to find the salve. “Should just leave this out, at this rate, but then Kíli will nick it.” 

Again, he encourages Ori to straddle him, and at this point, Ori doesn't much care what they do as long as he can finish. He presses back into Fíli's fingers, eager for that feeling from last night. But this time, Fíli grips Ori's thighs instead of turning them over. “Rise up a little, yeah, like that,” Fíli directs. “All right, now carefully, yeah...” Slowly, Ori sinks down, Fíli guiding himself inside of Ori, until Ori is very cautiously perched in Fíli's lap. This position is most definitely different from being on his back. Fíli feels deeper, enough it stings a little, and he winces. 

When Fíli notices, he starts to pull out, but Ori stops him, shaking his head hard. “It's just different. It doesn't hurt or anything.” More...odd. Not quite good. Odd. “All right. Slow?”

Fíli sits up enough he can cup the back of Ori's neck and kiss him. “See, that's the good thing about this position,” he says. “You set the pace.” 

His first move is slow, the next a little faster. The position is funny, a touch deeper than last night, but once the same cold feeling he'd felt last night fades, he moves again. “Better,” he says, so Fíli knows. He rocks up and down, and after a bit, his half-hard cock starts to stir again. He moves a bit harder, Fíli's fingers digging into his hips as he does. “Feels good.”

And it does feel good, even if the first attempts to move are awkward. Fíli's hands are secure on Ori's hips, the fabric of Ori's shirt bunching up around his waist. In this position, he can see Fíli's chest and shoulders, can admire him openly. He's a strong Dwarf, a warrior, and it shows in the hard lines of his body. Fíli is watching Ori too, though what he's looking at, what makes him smile like he is, Ori has no idea. 

He closes his eyes, embarrassed at being so exposed, but Fíli moves under him, adjusting them while he chuckles. Once he's sitting up, one hand slips under Ori's shirt to stroke his spine, the other spreading over Ori's hip. “Stop,” he tells Ori. “Don't hide from me.” 

“You keep looking at me,” Ori accuses, his breath hitching at the change in angle. It feels better now, with Fíli pressed against him. 

“Would you rather I ignore you?” he jokes. “I was always told that was a rather rude way to treat your bedmate.” He noses at where Ori's jaw meets his ear, and nips the lobe. “No one else I'd rather be thinking about anyway. Used to imagine you sometimes when I was lonely. Would put my hand on my cock and think about this exactly, think about you wanting me, asking for it so nicely -” Ori digs his nails into Fíli's back and shakes his head. “What?”

“You cannot say things like that,” he pleads, hiding against Fíli's shoulder.

“Why not? It's true.” He twines his fingers in Ori's hair and forces him up for a kiss. “Here, hold onto me.” Ori obeys and Fíli moves them up the bed, so he's resting against the headboard, sitting up now, the back of his thighs brushing Ori. 

It's an easier position, giving Fíli more leverage, and he moves harder in Ori, his hands everywhere. Ori keeps his eyes closed as it builds, trying to hide again, but Fíli won't let him. He buries one hand in Ori's hair and pulls his head up, sucking a mark into Ori's neck. “Can I watch you, please?”

“Fíli,” Ori whines, but gives in. The sound of Fíli's breathing and them and the bed is too much combined with the way Fíli is fucking him. He's going to finish soon, he can feel it, but it's not the same as last night. It was easy last night, but tonight it's rushing up on him, and he's being so _loud_ \- “Fíli!”

It's like being stunned, Ori so lost in it he hardly notices Fíli's own end, only that tonight he doesn't pull out. Fíli slumps against the headboard, and Ori rests his head on Fíli's shoulder, their breathing heavy as they wind down from their highs. Fíli's fingers work into the base of Ori's spine, and Ori tries to tell him he likes it, but all he manages is a happy sound. He slides one hand into Fíli's hair instead, moving the pads of his fingers over Fíli's scalp. “Feels good,” Fíli mutters, leaning into the touch. 

Ori finds the strength to sit up so he can use his other hand. Fíli groans, tipping his head forward. “I need to take a bath,” Ori reminds him when his mind finally sparks back to alertness. “And so do you now.”

“Cannot move,” Fíli says. “You broke me. Kíli will have to be king.”

“Very funny,” Ori replies, lifting himself up and off of Fíli with only a little bit of pain. Everything feels sore and overused now, but the hot water will help. “I'll take my hair down.” 

Fíli peeks at him, grinning. “Will you take mine down too?” 

It's an offer that can't be mistaken for anything else, even if Ori tried. He should say no. Fíli's station is too high for Ori to be doing that. But, well...there's a dragon. And Ori can make his own choices, without his brothers' influence. So he nods, and they get dressed enough they can venture downstairs. 

Fíli has an arm around his waist when Ori spots Dori and Nori. Nori sees them too, and nudges Dori. His eldest brother looks at Ori over his pipe for a moment, as Fíli shouts something at Kíli about not touching his things. But whatever Ori fears Dori is going to do, and really, he's not even sure what it is he's nervous about, Dori just raises an eyebrow and goes back to the game he and Nori are playing, his expression mild and mostly uninterested, for now at least. Nori glares again, but Ori doesn't have to see it long; Fíli is guiding him to the baths.

They're just having fun, he reminds himself. That's all.

**Author's Note:**

> Just having fun. Right.


End file.
